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Visualizzazione post con etichetta Maple Metal Records. Mostra tutti i post
Visualizzazione post con etichetta Maple Metal Records. Mostra tutti i post

martedì 12 maggio 2015

Yonder Realm - The Older Ways

#FOR FANS OF: Folk Metal, Eluveitie, Finntroll
From the bowels of New York - the home of many thrash metal legends - comes a ... folk metal band? I was taken aback to learn that these Eluveitie-sound-a-likes hail not from Scandinavia or Eastern Europe, like so many peers of their style - but from the good ol' United States! Yonder Realm, having released demos/EPs/singles etc. throughout their 6-year existence, finally managed to release their debut full-length album in August 2014. This quintet play absolutely nothing original or innovative - but have joyfully nailed the niche folk metal sound. Folk metal is a difficult sub-genre in which to be distinctive. But the production quality of 'The Old Ways' doesn't adhere to the usual demands of a folk metal album. The authentic folk instruments, as beautifully played as they are, are slightly kept behind in the mix. This gives them an eerie, mystical quality - separating this band from the silly jig-along bands like Beer Bear and Slartibartfass. The rhythm section is the most prominent here. The double-strum rhythm guitar playing fuses with the bass and drums to provide a weighty backdrop to the anthemic melodies that gloss over the top. This shows that their style evolved through the more melo-death-influenced area of folk metal, rather than the black metal characteristics of bands like Equilibrium or Moonsorrow. Jesse McGunnigle's vocals are what help to highlight this melo-death influence. He sounds remarkably similar to Chrigel Glanzmann from Eluveitie, and this is no insult! His growls helps push the songs forward in an almost percussive manner - and he becomes truly expressive in tracks such as "Sea of Cosmos" and "Pillars of Creation". As a bonus, there is the occasional use of melodic backing vocals, adding yet another magical layer to this tour de folk! 'The Old Ways' is perfectly structured. The artwork lends its atmosphere most appropriately, the tracks are properly ordered - containing a beautiful interlude and ending on the epic finale of "Moonbeam Road", and the use of unconventional instruments is truly inspiring. Listen closely and you'll hear flutes, violins, marimbas, accordions...the whole lot! Such a diverse timbre allows for maximum replay value. It's hard to pick highlights from this incredibly consistent record. "A Devil's Unweaving"doesn't let go of your melted face for its entirety, "Sacrifice to the Old Stone Gods" is the epitome of a folk metal anthem, and "The Frugivores" is almost Gojira-esque with its primal percussion and gang chanting. Not one track space is wasted - even the mystical interlude, "The Grove", plays an essential part in this shimmering tower of excellence. More focused than Finntroll, less pompous than Adavant, and providing an atmosphere similar to that of Cruachan, 'The Old Ways' is sure to whet the appetite of any folk metal fan from Poland to Pennsylvania. (Larry Best)

(Maple Metal Records - 2015)
Score: 90

venerdì 24 aprile 2015

Sonic Prophecy - Apocalyptic Promenade

#FOR FANS OF: Heavy/Power, early Primal Fear
More tales of warriors, kings, legends and dragons? Yes please! Sonic Prophecy, a sextet of Americans, are forging their path through our beloved genre in their own way. Nothing they're doing may be considered particularly innovative or original, but then what is these days? However, some of their techniques and compositional devices are somewhat quirky, especially considering their nationality. One thing's for sure, their entry for 2015 is nothing if not huge! At a whopping 1 hour 13 minutes, Sonic Prophecy are making sure there is quality stashed somewhere in that quantity. The production isn't quite spectacular - the guitar tone is a bit mellow, and a little engulfed by the bass (that's a first!). But fortunately, the folk instruments and Shane Provtgaard's mid-pitched vocals are well mixed. These two aspects are probably the stars of"Apocalyptic Promenade". Provtgaard has a warm, welcoming voice - and is able to portray a sense of storytelling through the fantastical lyrics. The folk instrumentation is a sheer delight, acting as the multi-coloured sprinkles on this cake of power metal. Regarding their debut album, "A Divine Act Of War", this new effort has slightly dampened the conventions they had previously established; lacking such energetic hymns as "Call To Battle" or the crunching headbangers like "Heavy Artillery". On "Apocalyptic Promenade", the youthful vibrancy is missing and songs feel dragged out to far longer than they're worth. Circa 2011, you could confuse this band for a young Primal Fear, but circa 2015, they seem more like latter day Judas Priest. This is by no means a negative remark, but it does sap a little of the energy out of their songwriting. There are plenty of positives scattered about this album though. Choosing to open your album with a 13-minute epic is a risky move, but "Oracle of the Damned/The Fist of God"is such a well-composed, structurally sound piece of metal, it proved a totally worthwhile decision. This helps set up the narrative characteristic of the album which, thankfully, holds steadfast throughout. The majority of tracks on "Apocalyptic Promenade" are mid-tempo and average around 6:30 each. The swaying waltz of "Legendary" and the brooding melodies of "The Warrior's Heart" are definitely the stand-outs that thrive in this structure. Rather than an up-tempo gallop through a fantasmic land of dragons and warriors, this feels more like a calm amble across a meadow of long grass. A ... promenade, if you will? Nothing about it is unpleasant or outright bad - there are plenty of sweeping melodies and grandiose ideas. It would just be a refreshing change if they were to return to the celestial ways of their debut. (Larry Best)

(Maple Metal Records - 2015)
Score: 55